Chapter 412: The Strongest Fire Style Ninja in the World

Everyone present was watching Mu Yue.

The Rain ninjas led by Hanzo hoped Mu Yue would obediently commit suicide, saving them a lot of trouble.

The ninja sect ninjas brought by Mu Yue hoped Mu Yue would not kill himself, considering it from every angle.

The Iwa ninjas led by Kitsuchi had no particular opinion, they were just curious what choice Mu Yue would make.

Shimura Danzo didn't care what Mu Yue chose; he just wanted to see blood flow, preferably the ninja sect and the Rain Village mutually crippling each other, because if the Land of Rain became too strong, it wouldn't be in Konoha's interests.

"Senior Hanzo, there's no need to play these tricks at a time like this. They only lower people's opinion of you." Mu Yue snatched the kunai Hanzo had thrown at Yahiko, imbuing it with fire-natured chakra.

Blazing flames rose on the kunai's surface, drying the rain-soaked weapon.

Whoosh!

Mu Yue aimed in front of Hanzo and threw the flaming kunai.

Mu Yue showed everyone his choice through his actions: making him commit suicide was pure fantasy.

If the person standing here was not Nagato but Shisui or Obito, Mu Yue might have been interested in playing the fake-death game.

Because that would likely stimulate them to directly awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, exponentially boosting their power.

Nagato didn't need to go that far. Although he still couldn't truly use the Rinnegan at this moment, he already possessed it.

What Nagato needed was not to awaken the Rinnegan, but to unearth its power. Intense stimulation could accelerate this process, but it wasn't a rigid requirement like the Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Sōsuke, you have made a wrong decision." Hanzo said coldly, looking at Mu Yue.

Boom!!

Hanzo gathered chakra and threw a kunai to intercept Mu Yue's flaming kunai; the flaming kunai exploded midair.

The entire valley instantly became tense, with an invisible smoke of gunpowder filling the air.

Kitsuchi immediately perked up; it seemed a fight was about to break out.

He actually wanted to see a one-on-one duel between Hanzo and Mu Yue, but he thought Hanzo wouldn't give up the Rain ninja's numerical advantage.

"Attack!" Hanzo did not personally act immediately, but ordered a hundred elite Rain ninjas to launch an assault.

Upon hearing Hanzo's command, the elite Rain ninjas instantly burst chakra in their hands and threw their kunai.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!

Numerous black kunai shot from all directions, surrounding Mu Yue and the others like a black net.

This was why Hanzo had chosen this location for the meeting: the Rain ninjas standing on the mountain could rain down dense attacks from above that would be hard for Mu Yue and his group to dodge.

Hanzo looked calmly at Mu Yue and the others in the valley; they had the advantage of both terrain and timing. What could Mu Yue possibly use to fight him?

Nagato's mind raced, thinking about which jutsu could defend against the attacks coming from all sides and protect all his comrades.

"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"

Mu Yue gathered chakra and converted it into wind-natured chakra, then burst it out the moment he clapped his hands.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Suddenly, centered on Mu Yue and the others, a fierce gale erupted outward, blowing all the incoming kunai into disarray.

Large amounts of rainwater also splashed in all directions, and the trees on the mountain rustled violently.

Although Gale Palm was only a common C-rank wind jutsu, bolstered by Mu Yue's master-level wind nature transformation with over seven thousand proficiency, it still possessed considerable power, easily blocking such thrown weapons.

Nagato looked at his own hands, then at Mu Yue.

Nagato also knew Gale Palm, but if he used it, he could never achieve such an effect.

He recalled the Water Formation Wall Mu Yue had used earlier, also different from the ordinary version, capable of completely blocking attacks from all angles.

"Continue attacking." Hanzo said expressionlessly.

He had considered that Mu Yue could block the attack, but not that Mu Yue could stop a volley of weapons of this scale with just a common C-rank jutsu.

Nevertheless, Hanzo still felt as steady as an old dog, because a ninja's chakra was limited. The more chakra Mu Yue consumed protecting his comrades, the less he would have for the coming battle.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Sharp black kunai cut through raindrops, once again forming a black net that stabbed toward Mu Yue and the others.

And Mu Yue once again used the Gale Palm to deflect the kunai.

"Sōsuke, didn't you prepare any contingency? Don't tell me you really didn't think we'd encounter this situation. If so, I'll have to reassess your abilities." Kakuzu outwardly mocked, but was actually reminding Mu Yue not to get worn down.

Hanzō's tactic was to wait at ease, exhausting Mu Yue's stamina and chakra.

Before Kakuzu could say his next words, Mu Yue's palm struck Kakuzu's chest at extreme speed, removing the sealing technique on him.

It wasn't that Mu Yue completely trusted Kakuzu, but that Kakuzu now only had one heart left, greatly reducing his strength. Additionally, Mu Yue had left a Flying Thunder God mark on Kakuzu. If Kakuzu dared have any treacherous thoughts, Mu Yue could instantly send him away.

Although not fully trusting, based on Kakuzu's performance so far, Mu Yue speculated that Kakuzu would most likely not betray him at such a critical moment, at most he would just escape on his own.

If Kakuzu could help him look after the Ninja Sect shinobi, it would alleviate a lot of pressure on Mu Yue.

Although greatly weakened, Kakuzu at his peak was strong enough; even with one heart, his strength was not something ordinary shinobi could match.

Feeling an unprecedented sense of freedom, Kakuzu was a bit surprised. He was about to ask Mu Yue to remove the seal, but Mu Yue anticipated his words.

"Removing the seal on me so easily? Not worried I'll take your corpse to exchange for money?" Kakuzu said, clenching his fists.

"Your bounty should have doubled by now. Maybe it's as high as thirty million ryō."

Nagato watched Kakuzu warily, ready to attack if Kakuzu made any suspicious move.

"If you truly still have that thought, then it means I made a mistake, and I will personally correct the error I made," Mu Yue said with a faint smile.

In this ninja world, Mu Yue never relied on illusory luck or placed hope in others. What he relied on was his own strength.

Kakuzu couldn't do anything to Mu Yue, and neither could Hanzō. The worst-case scenario was Mu Yue escaping with everyone.

"Tsk, that expression of yours like you have everything under control really makes me want to punch you," Kakuzu said as he continuously gathered chakra for rehabilitation.

He truly had no intention of turning against or backstabbing Mu Yue.

He believed only a fool would make such a choice. Although Kakuzu himself knew he was not a Ninja Sect shinobi, Hanzō wouldn't necessarily see it that way. From Hanzō's perspective, they were all Ninja Sect shinobi.

Therefore, not only would Kakuzu not betray Mu Yue, he would even offer some help to Mu Yue while ensuring his own safety.

"Everyone, guard one direction and protect yourselves." After blocking the fourth wave of weapon throws, Mu Yue took the initiative to attack Hanzō.

Mu Yue gathered chakra on the soles of his feet, his figure flickering through the rain curtain as he rapidly approached Hanzō's location.

Mu Yue's chakra was naturally already slightly less than Hanzō's; being worn down too much would be disadvantageous for the upcoming battle.

When the Rain shinobi noticed Mu Yue's movement, they all tried to use ninja tools to block him, but all were easily deflected by Mu Yue.

Hanzō silently watched Mu Yue approach, neither using attacks to stop him nor retreating.

There was no special reason; Hanzō merely did not believe Mu Yue could defeat him in a direct fight.

Everything Hanzō did was not because he lacked confidence in defeating Mu Yue, but simply to win more easily and safely.

If Mu Yue thought these tactics showed a lack of confidence in his strength, then Hanzō would let Mu Yue witness what it meant to be the pinnacle of shinobi.

"You disappoint me. Perhaps I should have ended you that day," Hanzō said coldly as Mu Yue approached.

"But you couldn't," Mu Yue replied calmly.

For Mu Yue, Hanzō's most troublesome aspect was his poison, but that alone was not enough for Hanzō to defeat Mu Yue.

The two did not immediately fight; they chatted like old friends who hadn't seen each other for a long time.

"Fire Release: Exploding Flame Formation!"

As Hanzō spoke, he suddenly leaped back and performed hand seals. The ground beneath Mu Yue erupted with numerous explosive tags that surged toward his legs.

This was why Hanzō had stood still earlier. He wasn't standing there because the scenery was better, but because he had planted explosive tags there.

Boom!!

A huge explosion sounded, and an intensely violent blaze engulfed Mu Yue. The ground was shattered by the massive number of explosive tags.

"No wonder he's called the pinnacle of shinobi," Kitsuchi said, somewhat admiring Hanzō.

Hanzō was clearly extremely strong, yet he was stable to an outrageous degree. First, he lured Mu Yue and the others into a trap, then had his subordinates exhaust Mu Yue's chakra, and when Mu Yue charged up, Hanzō used words to make him fall into another trap.

"At that distance, unless one has mastered an extremely strong Earth Release hardening technique, it's impossible to block," Kitsuchi said, shaking his head with some regret as he looked at Mu Yue engulfed by the flames.

At this distance, being bombarded by that many explosive tags, even a ninja of the level of Huang Tu, an Earth Release user, would be injured.

"This ninjutsu is not bad." Shimura Danzō greatly admired Hanzo. He felt they were somewhat similar, both able to use all means to defeat their opponents.

Being bombarded by so many explosive tags at close range, Mu Yue would either die or be crippled, utterly unable to fight Hanzo again.

"Uncle Sōsuke!" Yahiko noticed what was happening to Mu Yue and showed an extremely worried expression.

He really didn't expect Hanzo to be so despicable, even with numerical superiority, he would still use traps to deal with Mu Yue.

Nagato stared at Mu Yue engulfed in flames, momentarily dazed.

From initial doubt to acceptance, then trust, the memories of meeting and befriending Mu Yue kept replaying in Nagato's mind.

"Can't lose so hastily." Kakuzu frowned.

With an explosion of this power, even Kakuzu might sustain some injury if he used Earth Spear in time, though such injuries would be negligible for him who practiced Earth Grudge Fear, but Mu Yue's vitality is not that strong.

"Is it settled?" Hanzo's gaze focused, staring at the thick smoke of the explosion.

However, Hanzo doesn't have the Sharingan or Byakugan, so he couldn't see Mu Yue's exact condition through the thick smoke.

But this technique was Hanzo's specialty; he knew its power well. Even if one defended with ninjutsu in time, they would inevitably be injured by the explosion.

The thick smoke quickly dissipated in the strong wind and rain, revealing Mu Yue completely unharmed.

At the moment of the explosion, Mu Yue used his perfect-level Armament Haki to defend; even if Hanzo had buried twice as many explosive tags, Mu Yue could still block them.

Seeing Mu Yue without any injuries, Hanzo showed a surprised expression.

If Mu Yue had used a clone tactic, he wouldn't be so surprised, but Mu Yue withstanding his Explosive Flame Formation head-on was something Hanzo couldn't understand; he also didn't see any traces of defensive ninjutsu around Mu Yue.

"Could it be the ultimate Earth Release hardening?" A conjecture appeared in Hanzo's mind.

Each chakra nature transformation has its characteristics: Fire can burn and explode, Lightning activates cells, and Earth can harden the body. A simple one is the Hardening Technique, and a more advanced one is Earth Spear.

Even though his killing move was blocked, Hanzo was still not flustered. He still had many methods, some of which even the hardest hardening couldn't withstand.

Seeing Mu Yue completely unharmed, the memories in Nagato's mind stopped, and his expression turned to surprise and delight.

"So he held back when fighting me." Kakuzu also thought Mu Yue had extremely high Earth Release hardening ability.

The ninja of the Shinobi Sect immediately relaxed a lot when they saw Mu Yue was fine.

"As long as we hold the pressure here, there's still a chance. Teacher Sōsuke's strength is no less than Hanzo's." Chi Changye stared intently at the elite Rain ninja standing above.

Chi Changye felt that if he had told his past self about the events of following Mu Yue, his past self would absolutely not believe this was his future.

The slogan 'Ninja Teacher Sōsuke rivals Hanzo' was just Chi Changye riding on Hanzo's popularity in the Land of Rain. He really hadn't expected Mu Yue to be a ninja of the same level as Hanzo.

Seeing Mu Yue completely unharmed, Huang Tu showed a shocked expression.

He had just been thinking casually, but it turned out Mu Yue actually had such strong Earth Release hardening.

Huang Tu would call Mu Yue the strongest Earth Release hardening ninja, because even among the Iwa ninja who specialize in Earth Release, no one has mastered Earth Release hardening of this level.

Whoosh!

Taking advantage of Hanzo's moment of surprise, Mu Yue burst out with chakra and swung a fist at Hanzo.

Hanzo was also confident in his taijutsu. He could defeat the samurai of the Land of Iron without using ninjutsu. Confident, Hanzo did not retreat.

Could his taijutsu, which he had trained for most of his life, actually be inferior to Mu Yue, a young man not yet thirty?

Bang!!

A dull impact sound rang out. The moment Hanzo and Mu Yue made contact, Hanzo flew backward like a broken kite, slamming heavily onto the ground.

Mu Yue was not surprised by this. Hanzo overestimated his own taijutsu ability.

Just now, Mu Yue not only used Full Concentration of the Rock Breathing to enter the state of the Transparent World, but also attacked first. How dare Hanzo face him head-on?

"Lord Hanzo!" Some Rain ninja noticed Hanzo being sent flying and couldn't help but exclaim.

In the hearts of the ninja of their Amegakure, Hanzo was undoubtedly the strongest ninja.

Ninja Teacher Sōsuke was said to rival Hanzo, but the ninja of Amegakure did not think Sōsuke actually had such strength.

But reality was right in front of them. No matter how much the ninja of Amegakure trusted Hanzo, they couldn't change the fact that their strongest was sent flying.

The Rain Ninja hastily launched an attack to stop Mu Yue from pursuing Hanzō.

"To still be able to fight like this under these circumstances." Shimura Danzō's expression turned gloomy.

From Shimura Danzō's perspective, Hanzō's preparations were sufficient, yet even so he could not gain the upper hand against Mu Yue. The strength Mu Yue displayed exceeded his estimates.

In theory, whether Hanzō won or Mu Yue won, it would fulfill Shimura Danzō's objective, because his ultimate goal was to weaken the Rain Country's strength.

But Shimura Danzō preferred Hanzō to win. On one hand, he could continue cooperating with Hanzō; on the other hand, Mu Yue and Nagato had greater potential and posed a bigger threat to Konoha.

On the Ninja Sect's side, there was nothing but excitement and joy. The stronger Mu Yue's displayed strength, the more favorable the situation was for them.

Hanzō, not even having time to get up, awkwardly formed a hand seal with one hand and used the Water Body Flicker Technique to create distance from Mu Yue.

The strength of Mu Yue's taijutsu exceeded his imagination, so strong that Hanzō began to doubt whether Mu Yue was as young as his face suggested.

In the fight against Kakuzu, Mu Yue had displayed terrifyingly powerful Fire Style, and after withstanding his Explosive Flame Formation, he showed incredibly strong Earth Style. Now he was using taijutsu much stronger than Hanzō's.

Hanzō felt that no matter how talented a ninja was, it was impossible to have advanced so far in so many fields at such an age.

Having suffered a loss once, Hanzō decided not to engage in taijutsu combat with Mu Yue in the following fight. His main principle was not to be stubborn.

Meanwhile, Mu Yue dodged the Rain Ninja's attacks and quickly launched another wave of attacks against Hanzō.

"Fire Style: Wild Fire Dragon Dance!"

Mu Yue switched his breathing technique to Flame Breathing, and by pushing his breathing to its limit, he entered the Flame Breathing Chakra Mode, enhancing his Fire Style capabilities and strengthening his body.

Even though it was raining and Fire Style was countered by Water Style, Mu Yue still intended to use Fire Style against Hanzō.

For no other reason than that Mu Yue's Fire Style was strong enough.

To this day, Fire Style remained Mu Yue's strongest type of ninjutsu attack.

With a perfect-level Fire Style Nature Transformation, plus a large number of proficient and well-practiced Fire Style ninjutsu, in the current shinobi world, when it came to Fire Style alone, Mu Yue far surpassed all ninja except Uchiha Madara.

As for Uchiha Madara, Mu Yue had not used his Appraisal Technique to check his stats, so he could not be sure whether Uchiha Madara's Fire-natured chakra Nature Transformation had reached the perfect level.

Although he hadn't checked, Mu Yue felt that with sufficient chakra, his Fire Style should be no weaker than Uchiha Madara's, and might even be stronger, because Mu Yue also had a proficient-level Flame Breathing, allowing him to enter the Flame Breathing Chakra Mode to enhance Fire Style.

A large amount of chakra gathered at Mu Yue's throat, and in an instant, he converted it all into Fire-natured chakra. After pretending to form a hand seal, it turned into scorching flames that Mu Yue spat out.

Flames of extremely high temperature appeared. The rain-soaked ground next to Mu Yue continuously emitted white steam, gradually changing from wet to dry.

A slight smile appeared on Hanzō's face. He was indeed no match for taijutsu, but daring to use Fire Style against him was truly seeking death. He was the recognized strongest Water Style ninja in the current shinobi world.

To want to use Fire Style to overcome his Water Style in a rainstorm, Hanzō believed only Uchiha Madara's resurrection could make it possible—and even then, only possibly.

"Super Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

Hanzō formed hand seals with both hands with utmost seriousness, gathering a large amount of chakra within his body. Not only did he continuously spew huge streams of water from his mouth, but he also manipulated the surrounding water currents.

Under the influence of Hanzō's powerful chakra, a massive, incredibly thick water dragon gradually formed. Even the dragon's horns alone were as tall as Hanzō.

Under Hanzō's control, the thick water dragon circled around him, absorbing the surrounding water and growing even thicker.

Hanzō's super water dragon was imposing, but the sea of fire Mu Yue spat out was equally not to be underestimated. The ninjas who were a bit closer all felt a wave of dry heat.

They had never seen such a Fire Style ninjutsu; the temperature of the flames was frighteningly high.

"Lord Hanzō will surely win." Although Mu Yue's Fire Style didn't look ordinary, the Rain Ninja believed that Hanzō would definitely win in a ninjutsu showdown.

Because it was ninja common sense: Water Style counters Fire Style. Even if Fire Style was a bit stronger, it couldn't overcome Water Style.

"Ichigo, if we win this battle decisively, you'll have quite a share of credit. This guy actually wants to use Fire Style to deal with Lord Hanzō's Fire Style?" said the Rain Ninja jonin, unable to help himself as he spoke to Mu Yue's shadow clone beside him.

Earlier, Mu Yue had demonstrated a trick of "fire extinguishing water" in the shadow clone's fight.

Mu Yue's shadow clone smiled and said nothing.

He certainly had credit, but not on Hanzō's side—rather, on the Ninja Sect's side.

The initial Explosive Tag trap had been tampered with by him, so Mu Yue and the others only suffered a bit of the aftermath.

Shimura Danzō also smiled. Even Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was extremely skilled in Fire Style, would not use Fire Style to fight Hanzō in this weather.

Shimura Danzō believed the scales of victory were tilting toward Hanzō.

"These guys absolutely cannot imagine how terrifying the power of this Fire Style really is." Seeing Mu Yue use the Wild Fire Dragon Dance again, Kakuzu still felt some lingering fear.

Muyue's Fire Release: Wild Dance of the Fire Dragon was the strongest Fire Release ninjutsu Kakuzu had ever seen; its power could even crush his combined Wind and Fire technique of Head Hard and Pressure Damage.

It wasn't that Kakuzu had never encountered powerful foes, but this was the first time he'd met a shinobi who could take four of his lives with a single jutsu.

Of course, that was mainly because when he faced Hashirama Senju, he hadn't yet mastered Earth Grudge Fear.

Kakuzu would have thought any other shinobi insane for using Fire Release against Hanzo in a downpour, but he truly believed Muyue might just pull it off.

"Come on, Sōsuke-san!" Yahiko silently cheered for Muyue in his heart while fending off incoming attacks.

In Yahiko's heart, Hanzo's image had been completely shattered; the only hopes left for the Land of Rain were Muyue and Nagato.

The sea of fire spat out by Muyue split into six fire dragons as it advanced, sealing off all forward paths of the giant water dragon.

Although smaller than Hanzo's giant water dragon, the six fire dragons charging together still looked imposing, blazing brilliantly in the gloomy, rainy day.

Boom!!!

As they surged forward, the water dragon and the fire dragons finally collided, unleashing enormous energy that tore the ground apart and scorched it black.

The powerful shockwave flattened the trees beside them, and the fierce wind sent raindrops spinning wildly in all directions.

Everyone watched the epicenter of the ninjutsu clash with utmost attention, for as the leaders of both sides, their battle would greatly influence the entire war.

Shimura Danzo's expression shifted slightly—this was not what he had imagined; Hanzo's Water Release should have overwhelmed Muyue's Fire Release like a splitting bamboo.

"Impossible, could his Fire Release be even stronger than Hiruzen's?" Danzo was full of doubt.

Although Danzo believed Hiruzen Sarutobi's personality was unfit to be Hokage, he admitted Hiruzen's strength.

"That's just ridiculous." Kitsuchi's face showed shock.

If the details of this battle were revealed, the ninja world would gain an undisputed strongest Fire Release user.

Using Fire Release to contend with the strongest Water Release in the ninja world—the sheer substance of that Fire Release was beyond compare.

Kakuzu nodded, unsurprised; after all, this was the Fire Release that had taken four of his lives—it should have this much power.

Sizzle sizzle!!

Under the blazing flames of the fire dragons, the water dragon's massive body gradually turned into steam and dissipated, while the fire dragons, though also shrinking from the water dragon's erosion, did so more slowly.

In this clash of fire and water, the momentum of the fire dragons gradually overpowered that of the water dragon.

Although the fire dragons had shrunk, they seemed even more dazzling in the eyes of the assembled shinobi.

Hanzo's expression slowly shifted from calm and composed to slightly changed, and finally to utter shock.

He could no longer remain composed; the information revealed by this Water Release versus Fire Release clash was too horrifying.

For a shinobi who had reached Hanzo's level, he understood the nature transformation of chakra very well.

In the environment of a heavy rainstorm, for one shinobi to suppress another's Water Release with Fire Release could only mean one thing: the Fire Release user's ninjutsu skill far exceeded the Water Release user's.

Such things happened often in the ninja world, since everyone's talent as a shinobi differed; it was normal for a genius's Fire Release to overwhelm an ordinary person's Water Release.

But Hanzo was different—he was the universally acknowledged strongest Water Release user in the ninja world; he had never imagined that one day he would be suppressed by Fire Release.

"Could it be that Ninshu inheritance?" Hanzo thought Muyue's Fire Release was abnormally strong, inhumanly strong.

If it was connected to the legendary Sage of Six Paths, Hanzo felt it became reasonable.

"Water Release: Water Encampment Wall!"

"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"

Some Rain ninjas nearby, seeing Hanzo at a disadvantage, immediately used Water Release ninjutsu to help him block Muyue's Fire Release.

But Muyue's full-power Fire Release was no joke; under his control, the six fire dragons, which had expended most of their strength, merged into a single great fire dragon that broke through the water dragon and headed straight for Hanzo.

Hanzo valued his life highly, so he had trained his Water Body Flicker to perfection; relying on it, he had dodged countless ninjutsu in the past.

Thanks to the Rain ninjas' Water Release interference, Hanzo narrowly avoided the fire dragon's attack, escaping unharmed.

Hanzo licked his dry lips and stared at Muyue with extreme gravity. The scorched black marks on the ground and the heat radiating from his own body all testified to the terror of Muyue's Fire Release.

In a one-on-one fight, even with his fast Water Body Flicker, he probably couldn't fully evade Muyue's attack under these conditions.

Muyue let out a long breath and immediately withdrew from the Flame Breathing Chakra Mode.

His full-power Fire Release was very strong, but it consumed a lot of chakra.

Before becoming a chakra monster like Nagato, Muyue could only use his full-power Fire Release as a finishing move, at most once or twice per battle.

"If this Sōyūsuke survives, then the Land of Rain will experience a major upheaval." Kitsuchi felt that this trip to the Land of Rain was not in vain; just the intelligence on Muyue's ninjutsu was very important.

If Muyue defeated Hanzo and replaced his position in the Land of Rain, then Muyue would become an individual that Iwagakure needed to take seriously.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Seeing that Muyue could use Fire Release to suppress his Water Release, Hanzo decided to use his final trump card — poison.

His summoning beast could spew an extremely toxic poisonous mist; even Tsunade would find it difficult to neutralize his salamander's poison.

With a burst of white smoke, a giant salamander appeared beneath Hanzo.

"All ninja, attack the Shinobi Sect ninja with full force, no matter the cost!" Hanzo, after summoning his beast, immediately ordered the Rain ninja.

Although Muyue was very strong, the other Shinobi Sect ninja did not have his strength. Under the charge of a hundred elite Rain ninja, disregarding casualties, those Shinobi Sect ninja would surely be injured, which might distract Muyue during the battle.

Hanzo initially wanted to defeat Muyue and eliminate the Shinobi Sect with minimal cost, but Muyue's displayed strength was too great. Now Hanzo only wanted to completely eliminate Muyue, even if it meant many Rain ninja casualties.

Upon receiving Hanzo's order, the Rain ninja stopped releasing long-range ninjutsu and throwing ninja tools, and charged straight at Nagato and the others.

"If you want to survive, put in more effort. Hanzo has made us the breakthrough point." Kakuzu quickly understood Hanzo's intention after some thought.

Hanzo's best ninjutsu was Water Release; even his most proficient Water Release couldn't surpass Muyue's Fire Release, so it would definitely be difficult for Hanzo to defeat Muyue.

But Muyue was not alone; he had brought the Shinobi Sect ninja.

If Muyue cared enough about his companions, then those Shinobi Sect ninja would be Muyue's weakness.

Kakuzu, having observed Muyue closely for a period of time, knew very well what kind of person Muyue was. Muyue cared a lot about the Shinobi Sect ninja; if something happened to them, it would definitely affect Muyue's battle.

Chi Changye also took a deep breath and pulled out several kunai with explosive tags attached.

It was his first time participating in a battle of this level; previously, he had only fought against other rogue ninja.

And this time, his opponents were Hanzo, the Demigod of the Land of Rain, and over a hundred elite Rain ninja.

"I will absolutely not let his scheme succeed." Yahiko clenched his fist, ready to fight with full power.

As much as Yahiko had admired Hanzo before, now he hated Hanzo just as much.

Nagato quickly gathered his chakra, his eyes incredibly resolute.

He had to protect Yahiko, protect Konan, and protect everyone in the Shinobi Sect, absolutely not letting them affect Muyue's battle.

Konan pulled out paper shuriken specially made with the Paper Secret Technique, while Yahiko and Nagato quickly formed hand seals.

"Keep an eye on that Rinnegan user's movements. If necessary, you can move out at any time to seize the Rinnegan." Shimura Danzo instructed the Root ninja beside him.

With the hundred elite Rain ninja launching a full assault, the situation on the battlefield became chaotic. Shimura Danzo worried that the Rinnegan might be destroyed.

Regardless of whether the Rinnegan could be transplanted, it was always right to get it first.

"Should we help Hanzo?" the Iwa jōnin next to Kitsuchi asked.

"Let's wait and see." Kitsuchi shook his head after thinking.